Wrecker spikers trounce Trumbull

DJ Sixsmith

Published 1:03 am, Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Behind the strong performances of senior captains Mikey Fitzgerald and Tom Prenderville, the Staples boys volleyball team eased its way to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-4, 25-15) home win over the Trumbull Golden Eagles on Monday afternoon. Staples improved to 4-0 and pushed its winning streak to 84 consecutive matches. Strong front play and consistent backsets enabled the Wreckers to succeed.

However, it took some time for the Wreckers to finally get going, as Trumbull was able to hang around during the first game. With Staples clinging to an 8-7 lead, the Wreckers created some breathing room with a 5-0 spurt. Staples capped off the run with two spikes by senior captain Evan Gaumert, forcing Trumbull to call a time out.

Just as it looked that Trumbull had captured the momentum with two straight points out of the timeout, the Wreckers quickly turned the tide by wining five out of the next six points. Fitzgerald, Prenderville and junior Steven Denowitz each provided big kills during the stretch and helped push the lead to 17-10. The height of Staples continued to dictate the tempo late into the first game with captain Matt Brill softly tapping the ball past the Golden Eagle defense to make it 21-15.

Hanging around for most of the first game, Trumbull finally found a way to cut into the Staples lead late. After Brill's winner, the Golden Eagles scored four out of the next five points to pull within three. However, their efforts proved to be short lived as Prenderville soared high above the net and put the ball in between two Golden Eagle defenders to give the game to Staples.

The second game belonged to Staples as the Wreckers came out of the break by scoring 17 points straight. Behind the serving of junior Danny Fishman, the Wreckers executed to perfection making Trumbull miserable on the defensive end. Senior captain Andrew Glenn and sophomore Jonah Aelyon were the catalysts of this run, providing the team with energy and the big men with countless setups.

The third game proved to be much like the first early on, as the Golden Eagles were once again able to stick around and in fact took an early lead. Trumbull's lead vanished quickly thanks to a 9-2 Wrecker run, which gave the home team a 12-6 lead. Fitzgerald and Prenderville led the way during this spurt as they each had two kills to go along with two assists. The Wreckers continued to pour it on, winning seven of the next eight points to increase the lead to 19-7.

Denowitz and Fitzgerald capped off the hot streak by sending back a Golden Eagle spike. Fending off a late surge from the Golden Eagles, the Wreckers closed off the game by watching a Trumbull serve sail out of bounds. With Staples being stronger than its opponents, its in prime position to keep the streak alive.